Baseball

“I wrote 63 songs this year. They’re all about Jeter.” Just kidding. The game we love, the players we hate, and more.

Culture and Criticism

From Norman Mailer to Wendy Pepper — everything on film, TV, books, music, and snacks (shut up, raisins), plus the Girls’ Bike Club.

Donors Choose and Contests

Helping public schools, winning prizes, sending a crazy lady in a tomato costume out in public.

Stories, True and Otherwise

Monologues, travelogues, fiction, and fart humor. And hens. Don’t forget the hens.

The Vine

The Tomato Nation advice column addresses your questions on etiquette, grammar, romance, and pet misbehavior. Ask The Readers about books or fashion today!

Can you beat my score?
June 14, 2008 · 50 Comments

I bet you can, because I embarrassed myself on Mental Floss‘s grammar quiz. Two of the questions were phrased in such a way that I overthought them, but did know the right answer even though …

“Every day is Father’s Day”
June 13, 2008 · 7 Comments

NPR’s song of the day is “Father’s Day,” by the official Friends Of TN Band, Guyz Nite.   (That’s Mr. Stupidhead on the far left.)   For dads about to rock, they salute you.   …

The Vine: June 13, 2008 (Bookfest)
June 13, 2008 · 26 Comments

Bookfest!Party on!Excellent!
Hi Sars,
There’s a book I read as a kid that I can’t find anywhere, nor remember the title. I was hoping your readers could help. I read it when I was about 11 or …

White Water Summer
June 12, 2008 · 39 Comments
<I>White Water Summer</I>

The 12 Days Of Summer Movies eccchs-travaganza concludes with a gem known only to HBO subscribers of the late ’80s, in which the lady who played Ray Pruit’s mama (“with one T, ’cause that’s all …

The Vine: June 11, 2008
June 11, 2008 · 25 Comments

Dear Sars,
After three and a half years of a mostly great relationship, I invited my boyfriend to move in. I truly believe I was cool about it, didn’t make any ultimatums, was generally good-natured about …

Wet Hot American Summer
June 11, 2008 · 25 Comments
<i>Wet Hot American Summer</i>

It’s not easy to review a movie you and your friends have been quoting from for so long, you’ve almost forgotten half the references even started there, but that’s just what the Couch Baron’s doing …

Everybody’s All-American
June 10, 2008 · 8 Comments

Frank Deford is a good writer; a novel about what becomes of an All-American football player after the football ends is a good idea; Everybody’s All-American is not a good book. It did not make …

Summer School
June 10, 2008 · 35 Comments
<I>Summer School</I>

We’ve entered the 12 Days Of Summer Movies homestretch, and Joe R winds up his time in the watcher’s seat with Summer School, a movie with the dubious distinction of teaching me and my friends …

Summer Of Sam
June 9, 2008 · 10 Comments
<I>Summer Of Sam</I>

Today’s 12 Days offering is a quantum leap of ahead of yesterday’s in terms of the acting quality (mostly…Mira), and it gets a Gotham heat wave exactly right.Bunting takes a break from a Gotham heat …

Summer Catch
June 8, 2008 · 9 Comments
<I>Summer Catch</I>

Joe R returns with a take on Summer Catch that is less “review” and more “Surgeon General’s warning,” a measure the film community should considered adopting if only to protect Brian Dennehy from himself. (This …